Cereal Chem. 70:716-719   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Combined Effect of Protein Content and High-Temperature Drying Systems on Pasta Cooking Quality.

P. Novaro, M. G. D'Egidio, B. M. Mariani, and S. Nardi. Copyright 1993 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

The suitability of the equation proposed previously to predict cooking quality of pasta dried at 80 C was verified on two sets of samples of Italian durum wheats grown during 1989 and 1990. The 1987 sample set used to define the predictive equation was considered as a reference set. Protein content and gluten quality were measured on grain samples. Cooking quality of pasta was evaluated as organoleptic judgment (OJ) values to measure a combination of stickiness, bulkiness, and firmness. The 1989 and 1990 pasta samples, dried with a diagram at high temperature (90 C) different from that applied to the reference set (80 C), were characterized by a higher protein content. At 90 C, the OJ observed values were underestimated by the 1987 predictive equation. A multiphase regression model with two straight lines was applied on the hypothesis of an interaction between a higher protein content and a higher drying temperature. This model allowed the change of the slope between the two regression lines to be detected and the abscissa value (14% protein content) to be determined. Therefore, two new equations were proposed to predict OJ for a 90 C pasta- drying system because of the different effect of high temperature on protein content at +/-14%.